PORTIER (Paul). - Lot 247

PORTIER (Paul). Bar-sur-Seine, 1866 – Paris, 1962. French zoologist and marine biologist; collaborator with Charles Richet in the study of anaphylaxis. Autograph letter signed “P. Portier,” addressed to “My dear friend Franck” (Franck Emmanuel). Bar-sur-Seine, July 28, 1947. 4 pages, in-8 format. An interesting and lively letter addressed to Franck Emmanuel, son of the composer and musicologist Maurice Emmanuel, in which Portier offers a personal account—both admiring and nuanced—of the late musician. The scholar mentions reading an issue of the *Revue musicale* devoted to Maurice Emmanuel, which he hastened to obtain, and confesses how much this discovery allowed him to more fully appreciate “the scope and high value of his work,” which had previously been partly unknown to him due to the composer’s modesty. He also highlights the injustice the composer suffered during his lifetime, while admiring the serenity with which he endured these trials. The letter is peppered with witty remarks, particularly regarding his correspondence with Camille Saint-Saëns, which amuses him and reinforces his personal appreciation of Claude Debussy’s music, expressed with a delightful turn of phrase: “It has the same effect on me as if I were to let my chickens loose on a keyboard.” Portier thus engages in a spontaneous and sincere reflection, revealing an outside, almost candid perspective on the aesthetic debates of his time. We also note a critical observation regarding a misprint (“chromophotography” instead of “chronophotography”), not without irony about the potential pitfalls of superficial scholarship. The letter concludes on a more intimate note, with Portier expressing his desire to welcome his correspondent to Bar-sur-Seine and discussing the difficulties of daily life stemming from his age and the lack of family support. A rich and engaging document, straddling the scientific and artistic spheres, offering a valuable insight into the reception of Maurice Emmanuel and the sensibility of a great scholar toward music.